Carolina’s Damien Lewis sat in silence at his locker at Lambeau Field following Sunday’s 16-13 upset win over the Green Bay Packers.
Situated near the far right corner of the Panthers’ visiting locker room, Lewis listened as fellow lineman, left tackle Ickey Ekwonu, fielded questions from The Observer about the victory and his teammates.
The starting left guard isn’t known for being verbose; Lewis is considered a leader by example by his teammates. And he rarely speaks to the media.
But when Ekwonu was asked to reflect on what the Week 9 win meant for the franchise after years of doldrums, Lewis couldn’t help himself. He volunteered to answer the question for Ekwonu — with authority.
“Last year was last year,” Lewis said. “This is a whole different team. This team right here, every game we treat like a Super Bowl game. Every opponent is a Super Bowl game. This team is something special, and we goin’ to ride out there. We’re going to put this away (Monday), stay humble, and when we go (against) the Saints, we’re going to treat it like the Super Bowl.”
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 02: Ryan Fitzgerald #10 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates with teammates after kicking the game winning field goal during the fourth quarter in the game at Lambeau Field on November 02, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) Patrick McDermott Getty Images
The Panthers won two games in 2023. They won five games last year.
Entering Week 10, they’ve already more than doubled the 2023 total and matched the 2024 win column. They’ve also won four of their last five games.
The Panthers, for the first time in a long time, have a realistic shot at the playoffs in November. But they aren’t trying to put the cart before the horse. Even with the lowly New Orleans Saints (1-8) coming to Bank of America Stadium this week, the Panthers are keeping the approach the same.
This isn’t the time to get cocky, and despite their recent five-game stretch, all they’ve earned is hope to keep going.
“We’re just one week at a time,” Coach Dave Canales said Monday. “Just looking for our group to play to the standard that we have for ourselves — that’s what matters the most. To me, it’s not about messaging — it’s not about sending any message to anybody else but ourselves. Can we recapture the process and the excellence in the week it takes to have positive results on Sunday? And we’ve gotta stay locked into that mentality, so we can return and get back to work.”
Canales, like Lewis, arrived in Carolina last year. The head coach didn’t have to endure the Matt Rhule or Frank Reich eras of years past.
Ekwonu and Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown did. The win over the Packers might have been the biggest victory both have experienced in their professional careers to this point.
“It’s definitely special — anytime you can execute like that,” Ekwonu said. “Doing our job like that at a high level, it’s definitely going to be special to us. And we’ve just gotta keep stacking them.”
Carolina’s Bryce Young and Rico Dowdle celebrate a touchdown in Sunday’s second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Patrick McDermott Getty Images
Brown, a 2020 first-round pick, only played in one game during Canales’ first season with the team. He didn’t get to feel the improvement that Carolina made over the previous 2-15 campaign.
But he understands the magnitude of what’s happening during his sixth NFL season.
“Any win for us is special, especially (because) we’ve been looked at for so long as a team where people think they’re just going to come in and get an automatic win,” Brown said. “So, for us to come out here, be competing down to the wire — this is what we wanted.”
“This is the culture that (GM Dan Morgan) and Dave, top down, this is what they brought in, and this is what they’ve wanted to instill in us so we can be able to execute in the game,” Brown added. “Like we said after the game, all we need is us, and we go out and execute and do what we do.”
Inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom doesn’t own the baggage of the Carolina lowlights over the years. He just arrived in March, and on Sunday, he produced a career-high 15 tackles and a forced fumble.
Rozeboom, who won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams following the 2021 season, understands that it’s a week-to-week league. He’s not one to sulk after a loss or bask in the glow of a win, because he knows that there’s little time for that.
“That’s kind of the thing with this league — you’ve got a few hours to kind of celebrate the win, and then you kind of wash it, and you’ve gotta move on,” Rozeboom said. “Every team in this league is good, so there will be another team coming up this week that is trying to win games, just like everyone else.”
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 02: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates a touchdown in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers in the game at Lambeau Field on November 02, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) Patrick McDermott Getty Images
The Panthers passed on making a move ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. And while that might seem like a missed opportunity to some, Canales and company still know they have a shot at a postseason push.
They’ve won with their current roster, even as injuries have eaten away at the offensive line depth and defensive front rotation. And as they prepare for a home game against the Saints, they aren’t losing sight of the week-to-week battle they need to overcome on the way to bigger things.
Canales, in particular, isn’t losing focus. He hopes his coaches and players will follow suit.
Panthers make several practice squad moves
The Panthers didn’t make a trade on Tuesday. But the front office still kept busy ahead of the annual trade deadline.
Carolina released quarterback Hendon Hooker, outside linebacker Boogie Basham and offensive tackle Michael Tarquin from the practice squad. The Panthers, in corresponding moves, added running back DeeJay Dallas, guard Ja’Tyre Carter and safety Israel Mukuamu to the practice roster.
Hooker, a Greensboro native, dressed as the backup QB for the Week 8 blowout loss against the Buffalo Bills. He had been with the Panthers since August, but with veteran Mike White joining the 53-man roster, the former Detroit Lions draft pick became expendable.
Basham played in three games for the Panthers this season. The team chose to sign journeyman Trevis Gipson last week instead of promoting the Wake Forest alum to 53-man roster. Basham had four combined tackles in his limited playing time.
Dallas, Carter and Mukuamu all have a history with Carolina.
Dallas was released from the 53-man roster on Saturday to make room for White. The former Seattle Seahawks running back appeared in two games for the Panthers earlier this season. He has plenty of experience with special teams coordinator Tracy Smith, who used Dallas as a returner during his time on the game-day roster.
Carter spent most of last season on the Carolina practice squad. He also spent the entire offseason and training camp with Panthers before being released with an injury.
Mukuamu, a South Carolina alum, spent some time with the practice roster earlier this year.